Individually packaged absorbent article

ABSTRACT

An individually packaged absorbent article is disclosed. The individually packaged absorbent article comprises an absorbent article and a wrapper. The absorbent article extends in a longitudinal direction and includes a main body portion having a pair of longitudinal side edges, a pair of end edges, a garment surface, and a body surface. The garment surface of the main body portion has a main fastener. The wrapper for the absorbent article has a main wrapper sheet and a main fastener cover. The body surface of the main body portion is disposed to face the main wrapper sheet. The main fastener of the main body portion is covered by the main fastener cover. The main fastener cover is joined to the main wrapper sheet. The main body portion and the wrapper are folded as a unit at least about one transverse axis such that the garment surface is oriented inwardly with respect to the folded unit. At least a part of the main fastener is exposed when the wrapper is opened.

FIELD

This invention relates to an individually packaged absorbent article.

BACKGROUND

Absorbent articles which are used to absorb body exudates, such asdisposable diapers, adult incontinence products or sanitary napkins arewell known. Such absorbent articles typically have a body surface whichmay include a liquid permeable topsheet, a garment surface which mayinclude a liquid impermeable backsheet, and an absorbent therebetween.When the absorbent article is used, the body surface of the absorbentarticle is placed facing the wearer's body and the garment surface isplaced against the wearer's undergarment. The body surface of theabsorbent article must be kept hygienic prior to use of the absorbentarticle because the body surface directly touches the wearer's body.Typically, an absorbent article such as a sanitary napkin isindividually wrapped by a wrapper to protect the absorbent article fromcontamination. Such individually packaged absorbent articles aredisclosed in, for example, JP Utility Model Laid-open publication95/39820 published on Jul. 18, 1995, JP Utility Model Laid-openpublication 94/75446 published on Oct. 25, 1994, and JP Patent Laid-openpublication 91/176376 published on Jul. 31, 1991. In certain knowndesigns, an absorbent article such as a sanitary napkin is folded intothree portions such that the body surface of the sanitary napkin isoriented inwardly to the folded sanitary napkin and the garment surfaceis wrapped by a wrapper. The garment surface of the sanitary napkin alsoincludes a main fastener, which is covered by the wrapper, to secure thesanitary napkin to the undergarment. In these absorbent articles, thebody surface is protected from contact by the wearer's hands before thesanitary napkin is unfolded for application to the wearer'sundergarment. However, the wearer must open and remove the wrapper fromthe sanitary napkin and unfold the sanitary napkin when applying thesanitary napkin to the wearer's undergarment. In the configuration wherethe wrapper and the sanitary napkin are opened, the main fastener of thesanitary napkin is still covered by the wrapper and is not exposed whilethe body surface of the sanitary napkin is exposed. Therefore, thewearer must remove the wrapper from the sanitary napkin to expose themain fastener. During this process, the wearer may touch the bodysurface of the sanitary napkin. This causes body surface contamination.In addition, while the wearer applies the sanitary napkin to theundergarment after removing the wrapper, the wearer tends to apply thesanitary napkin by touching the body surface and/or by pushing the bodysurface of the sanitary napkin toward the undergarment to secure themain fastener provided on the garment surface to the undergarment. Thisalso causes body surface contamination. Thus, there is no convenientmeans to protect the body surface of the sanitary napkin while thewearer removes the wrapper from the sanitary napkin and applies thesanitary napkin to the undergarment.

Attempts to protect the body surface of the sanitary napkin during theapplication of the sanitary napkin to the undergarment have been made.For example, JP Patent Laid-open publication 96/56989 discloses anabsorbent article such as a sanitary napkin having a surface cover sheetcovering the body surface of the main body portion of the sanitarynapkin. This sanitary napkin also has a release paper covering adhesiveprovided on the garment surface of the sanitary napkin. The wearer mustremove the release paper covering the adhesive of the garment surfacebefore the wearer applies the sanitary napkin to the undergarment. It isquite inconvenient for the wearer.

Base on the foregoing, there is a need for an absorbent articleindividually packaged by a wrapper having a main wrapper sheet whereinthe body surface of the absorbent article remains protected from, e.g.,the wearer's hands during unwrapping and application. None of theexisting art provides all of the advantages and benefits of the presentinvention.

SUMMARY

The present invention provides an individually packaged absorbentarticle. The individually packaged absorbent article comprises anabsorbent article and a wrapper. The absorbent article extends in alongitudinal direction and includes a main body portion having a pair oflongitudinal side edges, a pair of end edges, a garment surface, and abody surface. The garment surface of the main body portion has a mainfastener. The wrapper for the absorbent article has a main wrapper sheetand a main fastener cover. The body surface of the main body portion isdisposed to face the main wrapper sheet. The main fastener of the mainbody portion is covered by the main fastener cover. The main fastenercover is joined to the main wrapper sheet. The main body portion and thewrapper are folded as a unit at least about one transverse axis suchthat the garment surface is oriented inwardly with respect to the foldedunit. At least a part of the main fastener is exposed when the wrapperis opened.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

While the specification concludes with claims which particularly pointout and distinctly claim the invention, it is believed the presentinvention will be better understood from the following description ofpreferred embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, in which like reference numerals identify identical elementsand wherein:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a preferred embodiment of the wrapper ofthe present invention in an opened position with a preferred sanitarynapkin disposed thereon;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the wrapper and the sanitary napkintaken along the line II—II of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the sanitary napkin shown in FIG. 1 withthe flaps outstretched;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the sanitary napkin shown in FIG. 1 withthe flaps folded over the topsheet and covered by the flap fastenercover;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the wrapper and the sanitary napkintaken along the line V—V of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of an alternative embodiment of thewrapper and the sanitary napkin;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of one preferred wrapper shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of thewrapper,

FIG. 9 is a first schematical perspective view showing a packagingprocess of the sanitary napkin by the wrapper;

FIG. 10 is a second schematical perspective view showing a packagingprocess of the sanitary napkin by the wrapper;

FIG. 11 is a third schematical perspective view showing a packagingprocess of the sanitary napkin by the wrapper;

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view (taken along the longitudinalcenterline) of the sanitary napkin and the wrapper folded by theprocesses shown in FIGS. 9-11;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of an embodiment of individually packagedabsorbent article of the present invention assembled by utilizing theprocesses shown in FIGS. 9-11,

FIG. 14 is a first schematical perspective view showing an openingprocess of the individually packaged sanitary napkin assembled byutilizing the processes shown in FIGS. 9-11;

FIG. 15 is a second schematical perspective view showing an openingprocess of the individually packaged sanitary napkin assembled byutilizing the processes shown in FIGS. 9-11;

FIG. 16 is a first schematical perspective view showing an applyingprocess of the sanitary napkin to the undergarment assembled byutilizing the processes shown in FIGS. 9-11;

FIG. 17 is a second schematical perspective view showing an applyingprocess of the sanitary napkin to the undergarment assembled byutilizing the processes shown in FIGS. 9-11; and

FIG. 18 is a third schematical perspective view showing an applyingprocess of the sanitary napkin to the undergarment assembled byutilizing the processes shown in FIGS. 9-11.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

All cited references are incorporated herein by reference in theirentireties. Citation of any reference is not an admission regarding anydetermination as to its availability as prior art to the claimedinvention.

“Comprising” means that other steps and other elements which do notaffect the end result can be added. This term encompasses the terms“consisting of” and “consisting essentially of”.

Individually wrapped absorbent articles such as sanitary napkins areuseful to protect the absorbent article from contamination. Suchabsorbent articles may be wrapped by a wrapper including a main wrappersheet and a main fastener cover. The main wrapper sheet may be providedin order to protect a body surface of an absorbent article fromcontamination during application of the absorbent article to theundergarment. The main fastener cover may be provided in order toprotect a main fastener provided on the garment surface of the absorbentarticles. If the absorbent articles have two separate elements ofmaterial to protect portions of the absorbent articles and if the wearermust remove those elements separately prior to application process ofthe absorbent article to the undergarment, it is quite inconvenient forthe wearer. The present invention answers the need for an individuallywrapped absorbent article whose body surface remains protected from,e.g., the wearer's hands during application of the absorbent article.Additionally, the present invention provides an absorbent article havinga main wrapper sheet and a main fastener cover in which the wearer doesnot have to give an extra step of removing the main fastener cover priorto application process of the absorbent article to the undergarment.These and other features of the present invention are discussed in moredetail below.

Referring now to the drawings, the present invention is disclosed in apreferred but non-limiting embodiment. As shown in FIGS. 1and 2, thepresent invention includes a wrapper 78 for a disposable absorbentarticle, particularly a sanitary napkin 20.

The sanitary napkin 20 is used to collect vaginal discharges, such asmenses, and prevent soiling of the wearer's clothing by such discharges.As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, the sanitary napkin 20 basically includesa main body portion 22. The sanitary napkin 20 may include a pair offlaps 24 which will be folded to wrap the edge of the wearer'sundergarment when in use. The main body portion 22 of the sanitarynapkin 20 may have a main body fastener, such as a pressure sensitiveadhesive fastener thereon for fastening the main body portion 22 in thewearer's undergarment. The flaps 24 preferably each have flap fastenersthereon, such as a pressure sensitive adhesive fastener, for releasablyaffixing the flaps 24 of the sanitary napkin 20 in a configurationfolded around the edges of the crotch of the wearer's undergarment. Thewrapper 78 serves to cover and protect the flap fasteners and the bodysurface of the sanitary napkin 20, and is folded around the sanitarynapkin 20 to provide an individual package for the sanitary napkin 20.

The sanitary napkin 20 (and the main body portion 22 thereof) has twosurfaces, a liquid pervious body-contacting surface or “body surface”20A that is intended to be worn adjacent to the body of the wearer, anda liquid impervious garment surface 20B. The sanitary napkin 20 is shownin FIG. 3 as viewed from its body surface 20A. The sanitary napkin 20(with the other elements, such as the wrapper 78) is shown in FIG. 1 asviewed from its garment surface 20B. The sanitary napkin 20 has twocenterlines, a principal longitudinal centerline L and a principaltransverse centerline (not shown in FIGS). Herein “longitudinal” refersto a line, axis or direction in the plane of the sanitary napkin 20 thatis generally aligned with (e.g. approximately parallel to) a verticalplane which bisects a standing wearer into left and right body halveswhen the sanitary napkin 20 is worn. Herein “transverse” “lateral” or“width” are interchangeable, and refer to a line, axis or directionwhich lies within the plane of the sanitary napkin 20 that is generallyperpendicular to the longitudinal direction.

FIG. 3 shows the main body portion 22 and the flaps 24 of the sanitarynapkin 20. The main body portion 22 has two spaced apart longitudinalside edges 26, two spaced apart transverse or end edges (or “ends”) 28,which together form the periphery 30 of the main body portion 22. Themain body portion 22 also has three sections including a central section(first section) 36, one end section (second section) 34 and the otherend section (third section) 32. The first section 36 is disposed betweenthe second section 34 and the third section 32. The second section 34and the third section 32 extend outwardly in the longitudinal directionfrom the edges of the central section 36 of the main body portion 22.When the sanitary napkin 20 is individually packaged, the main bodyportion 22 and the wrapper 78 are folded as a unit into three regionsincluding a first region 39, a second region 41, and a third region 43divided by two fold axes F1 and F2 (refer to FIG. 1). The first section36, the second section 34 and the third section 32 of the main bodyportion 22 generally extend in the first region 39, the second region 41and the third region 43, respectively.

The main body portion 22 of the sanitary napkin 20 can be of anythickness, including relatively thick, intermediate thickness,relatively thin, or even very thin (or “ultra thin”). An “ultra-thin”sanitary napkin 20 as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,950,264 and5,009,653 issued to Osborn on Aug. 21, 1990 and Aug. 23, 1991respectively preferably has a caliper of less than about 3 millimeters.The embodiment of the sanitary napkin 20 shown in the drawings isintended to be an example of a sanitary napkin of an intermediatethickness. The main body portion 22 of the sanitary napkin 20 may alsobe relatively flexible, so that it is comfortable for the wearer. Itshould be understood that the sanitary napkin shown is merely oneembodiment, and that the wrapper of the present invention is not limitedto use with absorbent articles of the type or having the specificconfigurations shown in the drawings.

FIG. 2 shows the individual components of the main body portion 22 ofthe sanitary napkin 20. The main body portion 22 of the sanitary napkin20 preferably has at least three primary components. These include aliquid pervious topsheet 38, a liquid impervious backsheet 40, and anabsorbent core 42 positioned between the topsheet 38 and the backsheet40. The topsheet, the backsheet, and the absorbent core may be assembledin a variety of configurations known in the art (including layered or“sandwich” configurations and wrapped or “tube” configurations).Suitable materials for the components of the main body portion 22, andsome of the various configurations in which such components can beassembled are described generally in, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,321,924,entitled “Bordered Disposable Absorbent Article” issued to Ahr on Mar.30, 1982; U.S. Pat. No. 4,425,130, entitled “Compound Sanitary Napkin”issued to DesMarais on Jan. 10, 1984; U.S. Pat. No. 4,950,264, entitled“Thin, Flexible Sanitary Napkin” issued to Osborn on Aug. 21, 1990; U.S.Pat. No. 5,308,346, entitled “Elasticized Sanitary Napkin” issued toSneller, et al. on May 3, 1994, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,389,094, entitled“Absorbent Article Having Flaps and Zones of Differential Extensibility”issued to Lavash, et al. on Feb. 14, 1995. The main body portion 22 ofthe sanitary napkin 20 may also be formed by one or more extensiblecomponents such as those sanitary napkins, and the like described in,e.g., U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 07/915,133 and 07/915,284, bothfiled Jul. 23, 1992, in the name of Osborn, et al. (PCT Publication Nos.WO 93/01785 and 93/01786, both published Feb. 4, 1993).

FIG. 2 shows a preferred embodiment of the sanitary napkin 20 assembledin a sandwich construction in which the topsheet 38 and the backsheet 40have length and width dimensions generally larger than those of theabsorbent core 42. The topsheet 38 and the backsheet 40 extend beyondthe edges of the absorbent core 42 to form portions of the periphery 30.The topsheet 38 is preferably joined to the body-facing side of theabsorbent core 42 and the backsheet 40 is preferably joined to thegarment-facing side of the absorbent core 42. The topsheet 38 andbacksheet 40 can be joined to the absorbent core 42 in any suitablemanner known in the art for this purpose, such as by an open pattern ofadhesives. The portions of the topsheet 38 and backsheet 40 that extendbeyond the edges of the absorbent core 42 are preferably also joined toeach other. These portions of the topsheet 38 and backsheet 40 can alsobe joined in any suitable manner known in the art. Preferably, in theembodiment shown, these portions of the topsheet 38 and backsheet 40 arejoined using adhesives over substantially the entire portions thatextend beyond the edges of the absorbent core 42, and a crimp sealaround the periphery 30 of the main body portion 22 where the topsheet38 and backsheet 40 are densified by the application of pressure or heatand pressure.

The sanitary napkin 20 shown in FIG. 3, as discussed above, may have apair of flaps 24 that are joined to the main body portion 22. The flaps24 extend laterally outward beyond the longitudinal side edges 26 of themain body portion 22 from their proximal edges 44 to their distal edges(or “free ends”) 46. The flaps 24 extend laterally outward from at leasta part of the first section 36 of the main body portion 22 and majorityof the flaps 24 extends in the first region 39 divided by the fold axesF1 and F2 (refer to FIG. 1).

The flaps 24 can be joined to the main body portion 22 in any suitablemanner. Herein “joined” encompasses configurations in which an elementis directly secured to another element by affixing the element directlyto the other element, configurations in which the element is indirectlysecured to the other element by affixing the element to intermediatemember(s) which in turn are affixed to the other element; andconfigurations in which one element is integral with another element,i.e., one element is essentially part of the other element. Preferably,in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the flaps 24 are integral with themain body portion 22 (that is, the flaps 24 are formed by integralextensions of the backsheet 40; alternatively, the flaps 24 may beformed by integral extensions of the topsheet 38 and the backsheet 40which are coextensive).

In other alternative embodiments, the flaps 24 can be formed by one ormore separate components that are joined to the garment-facing side ofthe main body portion 22. Preferably, in such a case, the flaps 24 eachare formed by a separate component that is joined to the garment-facingside of the main body portion 22. In such alternative embodiments, theflaps 24 are preferably otherwise unattached to the garment-facing sideof the main body portion 22 of the sanitary napkin 20 between the pointswhere they are attached to the main body portion 22 and the longitudinalside edges 26 of the main body portion 22. The flaps 24 in these latterembodiments can be joined to the garment-facing side of the main bodyportion 22 by any suitable attachment mechanism. Suitable attachmentmechanisms include, but are not limited to adhesives, and the like.

The places or regions on the sanitary napkin 20 where the flaps 24 arejoined to (or extend from) the main body portion 22, are referred toherein as “junctures”. These regions will typically belongitudinally-oriented (or “longitudinal”) junctures, such as lines ofjuncture 48. These regions can be any of various curved or straightlines, but they are not limited to lines. Thus, the junctures mayinclude flanges, strips, intermittent lines, and the like.

The flaps 24 may be of any configuration desired. For example, the flaps24 are provided with zones of extensibility (not shown in FIGS.) in thefront edge and the back edge of each flap 24. The zones of extensibilityrelieve stresses which are created in the flaps 24 by the folding of theflaps 24 around the crotch of the wearer's undergarment. The zones ofextensibility thereby help eliminate bunching of the flaps 24 caused bysaid stresses. The zones of extensibility may be formed bypre-corrugated or “ring rolled” regions of the flaps 24 in which thecorrugations define ridges and valleys that are oriented at an angle tothe principal longitudinal centerline L. Suitable structures forproviding the flaps 24 with zones of extensibility are described ingreater detail in, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,389,094 issued to Lavash, etal. and in commonly assigned copending U.S. patent application Ser. No.08/380,769, entitled “Absorbent Article Having Flaps With GatheredPortions” filed in the name of Sue A. Mills, et al. on Jan. 30, 1995.

The sanitary napkin 20 preferably also has fasteners for securing thesanitary napkin 20 in place in a wearer's undergarment. FIGS. 3 and 4show a preferred arrangement of fasteners which includes a main bodyfastener, such as a main body adhesive 74, and flap fasteners, such asflap adhesives 76. The fasteners used with the sanitary napkin 20 arenot limited to adhesive fasteners. Any suitable type of fastener knownin the art can be used for this purpose. For example, the sanitarynapkin 20 could be secured in place in a wearer's undergarment bymechanical fasteners, such as VELCRO®, or by a combination of adhesiveand mechanical fasteners. For simplicity, however, the fasteners will bedescribed in terms of adhesive fasteners and these fasteners arepreferably pressure sensitive adhesive fasteners. Suitable pressuresensitive adhesive fasteners are described in greater detail in, e.g.,U.S. Pat. No. 4,917,697 issued to Osborn, et al. on Apr. 17, 1990.

The main body adhesive 74 and the flap adhesives 76 can be provided inany suitable configuration. In the preferred embodiment shown in FIGS. 1and 3, the main body adhesive 74 is provided in the form of onelongitudinally oriented strip of adhesive that is centered about theprincipal longitudinal centerline L. The main body adhesive 74 may beprovided in the form of two or more longitudinally oriented strips ofadhesive which are disposed parallel to each other. Alternatively, themain body adhesive 74 may be provided in the form of two or moregenerally rectangular patches of adhesive which are disposed in thelongitudinal direction at a distance. The flap adhesives 76 are providedin the form of a generally rectangular patch of adhesive on each flap24. The main body adhesive 74 provides an adhesive attachment means forsecuring the main body portion 22 of the sanitary napkin 20 against thecrotch portion of a panty. The flap adhesives 76 are used to assist inmaintaining the flaps 24 in position after they are wrapped around theedges of the crotch portion of the panty. The flaps can be maintained inposition by attaching the flaps 24 to the undergarment, or to theopposing flap. Alternatively, the flaps 24 may not be provided with theflap adhesive.

FIGS. 1, 2 and 7 show one preferred version of the wrapper 78. Thewrapper 78 may be formed by a single element or may be formed by severalelements. These elements can be formed by integral portions of a singlemember or article, or they can be formed by separate components joinedto a member or article. The elements constituting the wrapper 78include: a main wrapper sheet 80; a main fastener cover 82; andoptionally may include a flap fastener cover 81 (not shown in FIG. 2) ifthe flap 24 is provided and the flap adhesive 76 is provided on the flap24.

The main wrapper sheet 80 is the portion of the wrapper 78 which will befolded around the sanitary napkin 20 to provide an individual packagefor the sanitary napkin 20. The main wrapper sheet 80 preferably coversthe side of the body surface 20A of the sanitary napkin 20 and isreleasably affixed to the sanitary napkin 20 as described hereinafter.As shown in FIGS. 1 and 7, the main wrapper sheet 80 has two surfaces,inner surface 80E and outer surface 80F (refer to FIG. 2). The innersurface 80E is the surface facing the sanitary napkin 20. The mainwrapper sheet 80 preferably has dimensions that are slightly larger thanthose of the main body portion 22 of the sanitary napkin 20. Preferably,the main wrapper sheet 80 has longitudinal side portions 80D whichextend beyond the longitudinal side edges 26 of the main body portion 22of the sanitary napkin 20. The main wrapper sheet 80 preferably also hasa first end portion 80A and a second end portion 80B which extend beyondthe end edges 28 of the main body portion 22. It is recognized, however,that satisfactory protection of sanitary napkin 20 may be afforded by awrapper which is not larger than the main body portion 22 of thesanitary napkin 20. The main wrapper sheet 80 can be made from anysuitable material. The main wrapper sheet 80 is preferably manufacturedfrom a thin flexible material which is liquid impermeable so that thewrapper 78 will be suitable for wrapping and disposing of a usedsanitary napkin 20. For example, polyethylene films have been found towork well. The main wrapper sheet 80 may be formed by an opaquematerial, a semi-transparent material, or a transparent material. Anopaque main wrapper sheet 80 offers the advantage of discreteness whenused to rewrap a used/soiled sanitary for disposal. However, asemi-transparent or a transparent main wrapper sheet 80 facilitatesvisual placement of the sanitary napkin onto the undergarment.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 5 and 7, the main fastener cover (or “mainadhesive cover”) 82 is provided to cover and protect the main bodyadhesive 74. The main adhesive cover 82 may be formed by a thinsheet-like element such as a paper or a plastic film. If a separaterelease paper is used, it can be formed by any suitable material knownin the art for this purpose, such as coated papers. Suitable releasepapers are described in, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,917,697 issued to Osborn,Apr. 17, 1990. The main adhesive cover 82 has two faces, one of which isa non-stick face (or releasable face) 82A which is capable of releasableattachment with the main fastener, and an opposite face or side 82B.When the main fasteners are formed by adhesive fasteners, the non-stickface 82A can be provided by attaching a separate release paper orelement to the main adhesive cover 82 which is treated with a non-stickmaterial, or by treating all or a portion of the main adhesive cover 82with a non-stick coating, such as by silicone coating a portion of themain adhesive cover 82. Alternatively, if the main fasteners 74 areformed by mechanical fasteners, such as VELCRO® fasteners, the non-stickface may be provided by a nonwoven material capable of releasablyengaging the mechanical fastening material. The opposite side 81B of theflap adhesive cover 81 need not have, and preferably does not have, arelease coating thereon. The main adhesive cover 82 also haslongitudinal side portions 82E, a fixed end portion 82C fixed proximateto the second end portion 80B of the main wrapper sheet 80, and a freeend portion 82D located proximate to the end edge 28 of the sanitarynapkin 20 in the second region 41 (refer to FIG. 5). The opposite face82B of the fixed end portion 82C faces the outer surface 80F proximateto the second end portion 80B and is joined thereto by any suitablemeans such as adhesive 91. The free end portion 82D is folded such thatthe non-stick face 82A faces the main body adhesive 74 in the secondregion 41.

The main adhesive cover 82 can be of any suitable size and shape, thoughthe figures depict a main adhesive cover 82 which is only of sufficientwidth and length to cover and protect the main body adhesive 74.Preferably, the lateral width of the main adhesive cover 82 is narrowerthan that of the main wrapper sheet 80. Thereby, the longitudinal sideportions 82E do not extend into a frangible sealed region (explainedlater) of the longitudinal side portions 80D of the main wrapper sheet80 which is to complete the individual packaging.

FIG. 8 shows an alternative embodiment of the wrapper 78 having a mainwrapper sheet 80 and a main adhesive cover 82. In the embodiment shownin FIG. 8, instead of being a separate component of the main wrappersheet 80, the main adhesive cover 82 is an integral portion of the mainwrapper sheet 80.

The flap fastener cover (or “flap adhesive cover”) 81 (if provided)covers and protects the flap adhesives 76 in a packaged configuration ofthe sanitary napkin 20 by the wrapper 78. It also maintains the flaps 24in position folded over the topsheet 38. FIG. 4 shows one example of theflap adhesive cover 81 formed by a separate flap adhesive cover sheetbefore the flap adhesive cover 81 is joined to the main wrapper sheet80. Such a release paper 81 can be laminated to the inner surface 80E ofthe main wrapper sheet 80 as shown in FIG. 2 before or after the flapadhesive cover 81 is releasably affixed to the flap adhesives 76. Theflap adhesive cover 81 has two faces, one of which is a non-stick face(or releasable face) 81A which is capable of releasable attachment withthe flap fasteners, and an opposite face or side 81B. As shown in FIG.2, the non-stick face 81A is disposed to face the flap adhesives 76 suchthat it will be able to releasably adhere to the flap adhesive 76. Theopposite side 81B faces away from the flap adhesives 76 as shown inFIGS. 2 and 4. The opposite side 81B is joined to the inner surface 80Eof the main wrapper sheet 80 by any suitable means such as adhesivelayer 90 as shown in FIG. 2. As the main wrapper sheet 80 is removedfrom the sanitary napkin 20, the flap adhesive cover 81 is removed fromthe flap adhesives 76 of the sanitary napkin 20 while remaining on themain wrapper sheet 80. The non-stick surface 81 A may be formed by thesame material or element as the non-stick face 82A of the main adhesivecover 82. The opposite side 81B may have, or may not have, a releasecoating thereon. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 6, the flap adhesivecover 81 may be provided on the main wrapper sheet 80 as a releasecoating. The flap adhesives 76 may be releasably affixed to the releasecoating 81. If a release coating is used, the coating can be applieddirectly to the inner surface 80E of the main wrapper sheet 80. Such acoating can be formed by any material known in the art for this purpose,with silicone coatings being preferred. If a coating is used, thecoating 81 may be provided by coating only that zone of the main wrappersheet 80 which will substantially contact the flap adhesives 76.Alternatively, the entire inner surface 80E of the main wrapper sheet 80may be coated. Coating the entire inner surface of a wrapper isdisclosed in, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,181,610 entitled “Flexible Containerwith Nonstick Interior” which issued to Quick et al. on Jan. 26, 1993.

The flap adhesive cover 81 can be of any suitable size and shape, thoughthe figures depict a flap adhesive cover 81 which is only of sufficientwidth and length to cover and protect the flap adhesives 76.

The wrapper 78 preferably also may include an optional package fastener86 for retaining the package formed by folding the wrapper and sanitarynapkin in its folded configuration. The package fastener 86 ispreferably both releasably attachable to the package and resealable. Thepackage fastener 86 may be formed by any releasably attachable andresealable fastener known in the art, such as spots or patches ofadhesive, tapes, and mechanical fasteners. A package fastener with apressure sensitive adhesive located thereon has been found to work well.The package fastener 86 can be disposed at any suitable location on thewrapper 78. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the package fastener 86is preferably positioned at opposing first end portion 80A of the mainwrapper sheet 80.

FIGS. 9-11 show one example of a process for packaging the sanitarynapkin 20 in the wrapper 78. In this embodiment, the flap adhesive cover81 is provided and is a separate flap adhesive cover sheet. The mainadhesive cover 82 is a separate single sheet. Prior to packaging thesanitary napkin 20 in the wrapper 78, the first flaps 24 are folded ontothe topsheet 38 (i.e., body surface 20A). Folding the flaps 24 in theconfiguration shown in FIG. 6 exposes the patches of adhesive 76disposed on the garment surface 20B of flaps 24 and causes the flaps 24to cover at least a portion of the topsheet 38. The folded left andright flaps 24 are connected to each other by the flap adhesive cover81. The flap adhesive cover 81 covers the flap adhesives 76 (not shownin FIGS. 9-11) and maintains the flaps 24 in position folded over thetopsheet 38. The adhesive layer 90 is provided on the opposite side 81Bof the flap adhesive cover 81. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the sanitarynapkin 20 is placed on top of the main wrapper sheet 80 (i.e., the innersurface 80E) such that the opposite side 81 B of the flap adhesive cover81 faces the inner surface 80E of the main wrapper sheet 80. Thereby theflap adhesive cover 81 is joined to the main wrapper sheet 80 by theadhesive layer 90. The body surface 20A faces the inner surface 80E ofthe main wrapper sheet 80. Disposing the body surface 20A of thesanitary napkin 20 facing the main wrapper sheet 80 can be considered toprovide protection to prevent the topsheet 38 from becoming soiled priorto use. Alternatively, the flap adhesive cover 81 may be joined to theinner surface 80E of the main wrapper sheet 80 before the flap adhesivecover 81 is releasably affixed to the flap adhesives 76. In this case,the sanitary napkin 20 is placed on top of the main wrapper sheet 80such that the flap adhesives 76 lies over the flap adhesive cover 81 onthe main wrapper sheet 80.

The main body adhesive 74 on the garment surface 20B is covered by themain adhesive cover 82 as shown in FIG. 10. As shown, in theconfiguration where the main adhesive cover 82 has not yet been joinedto the main wrapper sheet 80, the fixed end portion 80A of the mainadhesive cover 82 is located proximate to the first end portion 80A ofthe main wrapper sheet 80. The free end portion 82D is located proximateto the second end portion 80B of the main wrapper sheet 80. The fixedend portion 82C is located in the third region 43 and the free endportion 82D is located in the second region 41. The main adhesive cover82 may be releasably affixed to the main body adhesive 74 before orafter the sanitary napkin 20 is placed on the main wrapper sheet 80. Theadhesive layer 91 is provided on the opposite side 82B of the mainadhesive cover 82 proximate to the first end portion 82C of the mainadhesive cover 82. The adhesive layer 91 may be applied thereto anytimebefore the sanitary napkin 20 and the wrapper 78 are folded as a unit.

After disposing the sanitary napkin 20 on the main wrapper sheet 80 asshown in FIG. 10, the sanitary napkin 20 will then preferably be foldedas a unit, together with the wrapper 78 including the main wrapper sheet80, the flap adhesive cover 81, and the main adhesive cover 82, intothree regions that are defined by the fold axes F1 and F2. The fold axesF1 and F2 will divide both the sanitary napkin 20 and the wrapper 78into three regions including the first region 39, the second region 41and the third region 43. As shown in FIG. 10, the central region (thefirst region) 39 lies between preferred fold axes F1 and F2. The secondand third regions 41 and 43 lie longitudinally outboard of the fold axesF1 and F2. As described above, the main body portion 22 is alsoseparated at the fold axes F1 and F2 into three sections including thefirst section 36, the second section 34, and the third section 32. Eachsection 36, 34 and 32 generally extends in each region 39, 41 and 43respectively (refer to FIG. 1 as well). As shown in FIG. 10, thesanitary napkin 20 and the wrapper 78 of the second region 41 is foldedas a unit toward the sanitary napkin 20 of the first region 39 such thatthe garment surface 20B of the sanitary napkin 20 is oriented inwardlywith respect to the folded unit and the main wrapper sheet 80 isoriented outwardly with respect to the folded unit (refer to FIG. 11 aswell). Then, the sanitary napkin 20 and the wrapper 78 of the thirdregion 43 is folded onto the wrapper 78 (i.e., the main wrapper sheet80) of the second region 41 such that the garment surface 20B of thethird region 43 faces the outer surface 80F of the main wrapper sheet80. Because of the adhesive layer 91 disposed on the main adhesive cover82, the fixed end portion 82C of the main adhesive cover 82 joins to theouter surface 80F proximate to the second end portion 80B of the mainwrapper sheet 80 as shown in FIG. 12. In the folded configuration, thebody surface 20A of the sanitary napkin 20 is covered by the mainwrapper sheet 80. In addition, the garment surface 20B is orientedinwardly with respect to the folded unit of the sanitary napkin 20 andthe wrapper 78. Preferably, in the folded configuration, the sanitarynapkin 20 is fully wrapped by the main wrapper sheet 80 and is notexposed outside the main wrapper sheet 80 (i.e., neither the bodysurface 20A and the garment surface 20B are exposed outside the mainwrapper sheet 80). Alternatively, the sanitary napkin 20 may be foldedtogether with the wrapper 78 into two regions that are divided by onefold axis. In such a case, the sanitary napkin 20 and the wrapper 78 arefolded about the axis such that a part of the sanitary napkin 20 in oneregion faces a part of the sanitary napkin 20 in the other region. Inthis configuration, the garment surface of the sanitary napkin 20 isoriented inwardly to the folded unit of the sanitary napkin and thewrapper. Preferably, to complete the individual packaging of thesanitary napkin 20 in the wrapper 78, each longitudinal side portion 80Dof the main wrapper sheet 80 is then frangibly sealed as shown in FIG.13 after the sanitary napkin 20 and the wrapper 78 are in the foldedconfiguration. The frangible sealing of the longitudinal side portions80D of the main wrapper sheet 80 can be accomplished by any suitablesealing technique. By way of example only, the longitudinal sideportions 80D may be heat sealed, glued, or ultrasonically bonded. Theentire sanitary napkin 20 is thereby protected until the main wrappersheet 80 is opened. Suitable methods for frangibly sealing thelongitudinal side portions are described in, e.g., U.S. Pat. No.4,556,146 issued to Swanson. FIG. 13 depicts the package for thesanitary napkin formed by folding the wrapper 78 and sanitary napkin 20in one preferred configuration for shipment, sale, and convenientcarrying by the wearer.

The wearer will ordinarily carry the individually packaged sanitarynapkin in the form depicted in FIG. 13. The individually packagedsanitary napkin may be opened by peeling the package fastener 86 fromthe wrapper 78 and breaking the frangible seals along the longitudinalside portions 80D of the main wrapper sheet 80 such that the sanitarynapkin 20 of the third region 43 is opened from the main wrapper sheet80 of the second region 41 as shown in FIG. 14. Because the fixed endportion 82C is joined to the outer surface 80F of the main wrapper sheet80, the fixed end portion 82C remains with the main wrapper sheet 80.Thereby a part of the main body adhesive 74 located in the third region43 is automatically exposed coincidentally as the third region 43 isopened from the second region 41. Then the second region 41 is openedfrom the first region 39 in order to further expose the main bodyadhesive 74 located in the first region 39 as shown in FIG. 15. Thus, byopening the wrapped sanitary napkin, at least a part of the main bodyadhesive 74 is exposed so that it will be able to attach to the crotchregion of the undergarment, while the body surface 20A (not shown inFIG. 15) of the sanitary napkin 20 is still covered by the main wrappersheet 80 to protect it from contamination. As shown in FIG. 16, thesanitary napkin 20, whose body surface 20A (not shown) is covered by themain wrapper sheet 80, is placed on the crotch portion 100 of theundergarment 102 such that the main adhesive 74 (now exposed) faces theinside of the crotch region 100. This can be done without touching thebody surface 20A (which will subsequently directly touch the wearer'sbody during use) because the body surface 20A is still covered by themain wrapper sheet 80. In addition, the first flap adhesive 76 does notinadvertently stick to the hands of the wearer or a portion of thesanitary napkin 20 because the first flap adhesive 76 is covered by themain wrapper sheet 80. In this embodiment, during application process ofthe sanitary napkin 20 to the undergarment 102, the main wrapper sheet80 does not easily detach from the sanitary napkin 20 because the mainwrapper sheet 80 and the sanitary napkin 20 are affixed to each other bymeans of the flap adhesive 76. Although the main wrapper sheet 80 isreleasably affixed to the sanitary napkin 20, it can be controlled suchthat the main wrapper sheet 80 does not easily detach from the sanitarynapkin 20 during application process of the sanitary napkin 20 to theundergarment. The configuration (how large the flap fasteners are)and/or adhering strength of the flap adhesive 76 may be independentlychosen to control it. Adjustment of the configuration (e.g., bigger areaof adhesive) and/or adhering strength (e.g., higher average adheringstrength of adhesive) has no impact to wearer's skin comfortablenessduring the use of the sanitary napkin 20. As the configuration of theflap adhesive 76 becomes bigger and/or adhering strength becomes higher,the main wrapper sheet 80 becomes tends not to detach from the absorbentarticle. Further, in this embodiment, because the flap adhesive 76 isutilized to releasably affix the main wrapper sheet 80 to the sanitarynapkin 20, no additional means to affix the main wrapper sheet 80 andthe sanitary napkin 20, such as adhesives provided on the topsheet whichmay cause skin problem or cause the wearer to feel stickiness, isnecessary. Because the body surface 20A (not shown in FIG. 16) iscovered by the main wrapper sheet 80, the body surface 20A is protectedfrom contamination during the application process of the sanitary napkinto the undergarment. Therefore, the wearer may push the side of the mainwrapper sheet 80 toward the undergarment 102 to secure the main adhesive74 to the crotch portion 100. Then the wearer pulls the package fastener86 to remove the main wrapper sheet 80 from the sanitary napkin 20 whichis secured to the crotch portion 100 of the undergarment 102. As shownin FIG. 17, as the main wrapper sheet 80 is removed, the flap adhesivecover 81 which is joined to the inner surface 80E of the main wrappersheet 80 is removed from the flap adhesive 76. The wearer further pullsthe main wrapper sheet 80 to remove the main wrapper sheet 80 from thesanitary napkin 20 as shown in FIG. 18. Because the fixed end portion82C of the main adhesive cover 82 is joined to the outer surface 80F ofthe main wrapper sheet 80 proximate to the second end portion 80B of thesecond region 41, the wearer is able to peel the main adhesive cover 82together with the main wrapper sheet 80 from the main body adhesive 74without feeling shear force therebetween. Thus, after placing thesanitary napkin 20 with the main wrapper sheet 80 against the crotchregion 100 (FIG. 16), removal of the main wrapper sheet 80 and the mainadhesive cover 82 can be done in a single motion of pulling a part ofmain wrapper sheet 80. After the completion of removal, the wearer flipsover the flap 24 toward the outside surface of the undergarment. Oncethe sanitary napkin is removed from the wrapper 78 and installed in thewearer's undergarment, the wearer may fold the wrapper 78, secure thewrapper 78 in its folded orientation by reattaching resealable packagefastener 86 to wrapper 78. The wearer may then store the folded wrapper78 for rewrapping and disposing of the used sanitary napkin. The wearerneed not worry about collecting and disposing of loose flap adhesivecover 81 and main adhesive cover 82 since the flap adhesive cover 81 andthe main adhesive cover 82 are joined to the main wrapper sheet 80.Therefore, the present invention provides the wearer with a cleansanitary napkin 20 which is easily installed while keeping the bodysurface hygienic and without extra pieces of waste which must becollected.

Various alternative embodiments of the present invention are possible.For example in the embodiment explained above, instead of having theflaps 24, the sanitary napkin 20 could be formed by only the main bodyportion without the flaps 24. In such a case, a releasable joint meansmay be provided between the body surface 20A of the sanitary napkin 20and the main wrapper sheet 80. Such releasable joint means may be formedby any suitable means. Preferably, the joint means is formed by a meanswhich does not have a negative impact to the wearer's skin, but hasadhering strength sufficient to affix the main wrapper sheet 80 to thebody surface 20A such that the main wrapper sheet 80 does not detachfrom the main body portion 22 even during application process of thesanitary napkin 20. If the main wrapper sheet 80 and the body surface20A (i.e., topsheet 38) are formed by a thermoplastic material, they maybe fused to each other at one or more small spots. However, the numberof the fused spots and the area of the fused spots are preferably chosennot to give the wearer stiffness feeling due to the fused area while themain wrapper sheet 80 is readily released from the body surface 20A.Although it is less preferred, adhesive may be used to join the mainwrapper sheet 80 and the body surface 20A. The sanitary napkin 20 mayhave another additional pair of flaps. The additional flaps extendlaterally outward beyond the longitudinal side edges 26 of the main bodyportion 22. The additional flaps are positioned proximate to one endedge 28 of the main body portion 22 and apart from the flaps 24 in thelongitudinal direction of the main body portion 22. The additional flapspreferably each have additional fasteners thereon, such as a pressuresensitive adhesive fastener, for releasably affixing the additionalflaps of the sanitary napkin 20 in a configuration staying widespread ina back region of the inside of a wearer's undergarment. The additionalflap adhesives are used to assist in maintaining the additional flaps inposition after they are rendered widespread in a back region of theinside of the panty. In order to cover the additional flap adhesive, anadditional flap adhesive cover may be provided. The additional flapadhesive cover may be formed by the same material/shape as the flapadhesive cover 81 of the flap adhesive 76 and is joined to the innersurface 80E of the main wrapper sheet.

It is to be recognized that the foregoing detailed description of thepreferred embodiment of the present invention is given merely by way ofillustration, and that numerous modifications and variations may becomeapparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spiritand scope of the invention. Therefore, the scope of the presentinvention is to be determined by reference to the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An individually packaged absorbent articlecomprising: (a) an absorbent article extending in a longitudinaldirection and including a main body portion having a pair oflongitudinal side edges, a pair of end edges, a garment surface, and abody surface, wherein the garment surface of the main body portion has amain fastener, (b) a wrapper for the absorbent article, the wrapperhaving a main wrapper sheet and a main fastener cover, wherein (c) thebody surface of the main body portion is disposed to face the mainwrapper sheet, and the main fastener of the main body portion is coveredby the main fastener cover, wherein the main fastener cover is joined tothe main wrapper sheet, and (d) the main body portion and the wrapperare folded as a unit at least about one transverse axis such that thegarment surface is oriented inwardly with respect to the folded unit,wherein at least a part of the main fastener is exposed when the wrapperis opened.
 2. The absorbent article of claim 1 wherein: the main wrappersheet has a pair of longitudinal side portions, a first end portion, anda second end portion, the main fastener cover has a pair of longitudinalside portions, a fixed end portion, and a free end portion, the fixedend portion located proximate to the second end portion of the mainwrapper sheet in the folded configuration, wherein the fixed end portionis joined to the second end portion of the main wrapper sheet.
 3. Theabsorbent article of claim 2 wherein: the main body portion and thewrapper have two transverse axes and three regions, wherein the two axeshave a first axis and a second axis, and the three regions have a firstregion, a second region, and a third region, wherein the first regionand the second region are separated by the first axis, and the firstregion and the third region are separated by the second axis, whereinthe main body portion and the wrapper are folded along the first axissuch that the main body portion of the second region superposes on themain body portion of the first region, and folded along the second axissuch that the main body portion of the third region superposes on themain wrapper sheet of the second region.
 4. The absorbent article ofclaim 3 wherein the fixed end portion of the main fastener cover isjoined to the second end portion of the main wrapper sheet of the secondregion.
 5. The absorbent article of claim 4 wherein the main fastenercover extends at least in a part of the third region, wherein the fixedend portion of the main fastener cover is joined to the second endportion of the main wrapper sheet of the second region.
 6. The absorbentarticle of claim 5 wherein the main fastener cover extends along thefirst region, the second region, and the third region.
 7. The absorbentarticle of claim 1 wherein the main fastener cover is formed by aseparate element from the main wrapper sheet.
 8. The absorbent articleof claim 1 wherein the absorbent article has a pair of flaps joined tothe main body portion and extending laterally outward beyond thelongitudinal side edges of the main body portion, the garment surface ofthe flap has a flap fastener.
 9. The absorbent article of claim 8wherein the flaps are folded over the body surface of the main bodyportion to expose the flap fasteners, wherein the flap fastener isreleasably affixed to the main wrapper sheet.
 10. The absorbent articleof claim 9 wherein the wrapper includes a flap fastener cover providedon the main wrapper sheet, wherein the flap fastener is releasablyaffixed to the flap fastener cover.